UDHAMPUR: The prevailing situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh is stable, with India now negotiating from a position of strength and ready to wait if the situation demands, says Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi who heads the Indian Army's Northern Command.
To sort out the 'perceptional differences', the trust which was broken by the Chinese in 2020 has to be rebuilt, he pointed out. “As far the situation on the LAC is concerned, the situation as of today is stable but it is in a state of heightened alert,” he said.
To make sure that “there is no irritant that is likely to become a violent situation”, communications between Indian Army troops and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at the lower level have been increased. “What we have done is firstly at the lower level -- that is the battalion and brigade level -- we have now opened up various channels of communication. We have regular hotline exchanges and we have stopped the system of body pushes that used to be there earlier and no physical contact is being ensured. Wherever there is an irritant, we immediately call for talks and at the battalion and brigade level, we sit down together and come to an amicable solution,” he said.
Lt Gen Dwivedi was speaking on the sidelines of the North Tech Symposium organised by the Northern Command after a gap of two years. The Northern Command is the most operationally active command handling not just the Line of Control with Pakistan and Line of Actual Control with China but is also involved in counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations.
In his opening remarks, the Army Commander said, "Let me begin by stating that the Northern Command exemplifies the notion of the “Two and a Half Front”, with its unique frontiers and varied terrain ranging from plains to super high altitude, as also the normal to extreme weather and climatic conditions with temperatures going to as low as minus 50 to 70 degrees. The “eyeball to eyeball’ deployment ranging from the plains of Jammu to the Siachen Glacier and further to Eastern Ladakh, and the dynamic internal security situation in Jammu and Kashmir make the Northern Command the most unique theatre. Ever since its raising, the Northern Command has been always in combat."
Lt Gen Dwivedi spoke on the changes in Eastern Ladakh, with the Indian Army having raised its technological profile along the LAC since the standoff by strengthening communications, firepower, protection, mobility, intelligence and surveillance.
“We don't want the situation which took place in April 2020 to be repeated. As a result, the force deployment as well as equipment deployment is calibrated in nature and we will make sure that any kind of misadventure by the adversary does not take place again,” he said.
With respect to the differences of perception on the LAC, these are required to be handled at the higher level through Corps Commander meetings or the MEA, he said, adding that such meetings keep taking place regularly.
The 15th Corps Commanders meeting took place on March 11, 2022. "The negotiations have moved forward but since these are long-standing issues, perception differences are also there, the MEA is also involved and we will have to have strategic patience," he said.
The message from both the Indian and Chinese sides has been to "maintain peace and tranquillity along the border and negotiate by both coming halfway,” he said.
“Now the issue is the perceptional differences. We are saying that firstly the trust which was broken in April 2020 has to be rebuilt by deescalation. Let's withdraw the militaries a larger distance from the LAC and once that happens, I am sure de-escalation will take place automatically. We are in full synergy with the MEA on the subject,” he added.
“Things have changed as now India, like China, has come a long way and also has the strategic patience. We are ready to wait,” Lt Gen Dwivedi said, and added, “It means we are now negotiating with assertiveness. Therefore, if the negotiations are prolonged, we are ready to wait. However, on the ground as far as the operational readiness and preparedness is concerned, there will be no lapses.”
Talking about the Line of Control with Pakistan, he said, "Weapons have been dropped on the LoC and international border. Our effort is to keep full surveillance, capture and shoot down the drones."
The Army Commander also affirmed that US weapons are reaching Kashmir. “It cannot be denied that the equipment left by Americans in Afghanistan has come into the hands of terrorists to some extent. In our recent operations, we found the M-4 rifle, which is made in America. We also found some night vision devices which are made in the UK and China,” he said.